Centrifugally launched resilient comet toy



R. w. LAWSON 3,393,911

CENTRIFUGALLY LAUNCHED RESLLIENT COMET TOY July 23, 1968 Filed May 3, 1965 I IO ,3

28 F|q.4 I I pigvl 2 2 INVENTOR.

ROBERT W. LAWSON 61m &

United States Patent 3,393,911 CENTRIFU-GALLY LAUNCHED RESILIENT COMET TOY Robert W. Lawson, 1319 Valley Blvd'., Escondido, Calif. 92025 Filed May 3, 1965, Ser. No. 452,709 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-106) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy of simulated comet form has an elongated tubular body of cloth-like material with a nose portion and a tapering afterbody. In the nose portion a bag contains a resilient, spherical ballast element and a resilient pad in front of the ballast element. A reinforcing nose cap fits over the nose portion and is secured thereto and to the front end of the bag.

The present invention relates to toys and more specifically to a comet toy.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a comet toy which simulates the appearance of a comet when thrown into the air and, due to the inertia built up by the throwing action, will travel a considerable distance and enhance the comet effect.

Another object of this invention is to provide a comet toy having a suitable shape and sufiicient mass for throwing a considerable distance, yet which is made entirely from materials which will not cause injury to anyone accidentally struck by the toy.

Another object of this invention is to provide a comet toy which, because of its non-injurious nature, can be used in a variety of games involving throwing and catching between several players, in addition to its use by one person.

A further object of this invention is to provide a comet toy which can be made in different sizes from various materials.

The toy and its use are illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of the complete toy;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view of the tail portion;

FIGURE 3 is a diagram showing the throwing action;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIGURE 4.

Similar characters of reference indicate similar or identical elements and portions throughout the specification and throughout the views of the drawing.

The toy has an enlongated body composed of a tubular sleeve of flexible material, such as cloth or other fabric, having a generally streamlined nose portion 12 and a tapered afterbody 14 terminating in a. narrow tail end 16. The body 10- is preferably made from a pair of similarly shaped gore panels of material stitched or otherwise secured together along their edges, as at 18 in FIGURE 5, the panels being of brightly color material, different colors if desired, to present a changing flashing appearance in flight. In the nose portion 12 is a resilient pad 20, of foam rubber or similar material, shaped to hold the streamlined or generally projectile-like configuration of the nose. At the rear of the pad is a ballast weight 22, illustrated as a rubber ball, which provides the mass necessary for throwing the toy for any distance. While other types of ballast may be used, such as a solid weigh-t embedded in the pad 20, the ball is preferred since this provides a large body to fill out the nose portion and adds to the resiliency and therefore makes the item more safe to use. For purposes of strength and to simplify manufacture, the pad 20 and Weight 22 are contained in a bag 24, of cloth or the like, made to fit within the nose portion 12 and secured thereto by stitching to the adjacent portion of the afterbody 14, as at 26. For economy the afterbody could be a single thickness of material, suitably reinforced along the edges, although the illustrated sleeve structure is preferable.

To reinforce the body and improve the wearing qualities a nose cap 28 is fitted over nose portion 12, the cap being constructed from suitable gores, or being gathered, and seamed as at 30 to conform to the nose shape and secured to the body by stitching 32, or similar means. Alternatively the nose cap could be molded to fit the nose portion, but this nose cap must be of a flexible rather than a rigid nature to prevent injury.

At the tail end 16 is a streamer tail 34 composed of thin strips of flexible material, such as plastic, the strips being stitched or otherwise secured into said tail end. The strips can be separate or joined at one end to simplify attachment as by cutting a flat sheet of plastic from one end only to form the strips.

The throwing action is illustrated in FIGURE 3. The afterbody 14 is grasped in the hand near tail end 16 and the body is then swung with a rotational action, indicated by arrows 36. The mass of the weight 22 provides a flywheel action and considerable inertia can be built up with little elfort. At the appropriate time the toy is released and leaves the hand in a direction indicated by arrow 38, the exact instant of release being determined by the desired direction of travel of the toy. At the initial high velocity of the throw the body is quite stable and offers a minimum of drag. When speed decreases the tail 34 will flutter and the afterbody will take up a [rippling or fishtailing motion which, with brightly colored material, provides a very pleasing effect. With the concentration of weight in the nose and the long light-weight tail portion, the toy has dart-like stability and will always land on its nose, which is suitably padded and reinforced. The padding prevents injury to anyone who might be accidentally struck and also makes it practical to catch the toy. Various games can be devised to test the skill of the players in aiming and timing the release of the toy, which is safe to use even for small children.

It is understood minor variations from the form of the invention disclosed herein may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and that the specification and drawings are to be considered as merely illustrative rather than limiting.

I claim:

1. A comet toy, comprising:

an elongated tubular body of flexible cloth-like material having a nose portion, an afterbody extending from said nose portion and having a reduced tail end and constituting centrifugal launching means;

a spherical ballast weight of rubber-like resiliency in said nose portion disposed forwardly of said ballast weight;

and a resilient pad in said nose portion forwardly of said weight, the forward portion of said pad having a round nosed shape and the rearward portion having a hollowed shape receiving said shperical ballast weight;

a bag portion disposed within said nose portion and enclosing said ballast weight and said pad;

and a reinforcing nose cap secured over said nose portion.

2. The comet toy according to claim 1 wherein said reduced tail end comprises a tail of thin flexible strips of material fixed to said afterbody.

(References on following page) 3 4 Y References Cited 2,311,160 2/ 1943 Dobbelaa'r 1245 SChObCll 1,538,640 5/1925 Krusi 273106-5 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner. 2,025,325 12/1935 Bauer 273-10611 2,213,593 10/1940 Ushakoif 273106.1 5 NATTERAsSiSmm Examine"- 

